Kidnap victims

Two men who carried out a “humiliating” attack on a kidnap victim who was forced to strip naked and perform Whitney Houston songs have been jailed. Sakhawat Hussain, 35, and Andre Clarke, 30, even poured boiling water over the man's genitals and held a knife to the stomach of his heavily-pregnant girlfriend. The pair, who carried out the attack following a dispute over drugs, held their 32-year-old victim prisoner and used axes, a baseball bat, a hammer and a knife to inflict serious injuries upon him. Leeds Crown Court heard that the man was later treated for a catalogue of injuries, including broken bones, significant bruising, and reddening on his legs, buttocks and genitals. Following a five-week trial, a jury convicted Mr Hussain, of Hawthorne Avenue, Batley, and Mr Clarke, 30, Wood Lane, Newsome, Huddersfield, of affray, kidnapping, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and two counts of false imprisonment. Jailing them for 15 years each on Tuesday, Judge Robin … [Read more...] about Men jailed for stripping kidnap victim and forcing him to sing Whitney Houston songs

Dramatic footage shows armed police raiding a house to 'rescue' an alleged kidnap victim. A bystander filmed the incident from his mobile phone as officers wielding rifles surrounded the house in Penpoll Close, Bootle, at around 6.30pm last night. Merseyside Police confirmed three men, aged 37, 64, and 28, and all from Bootle, have been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and remain in custody for questioning. A fourth man, in his 30s, was taken to from the address to hospital where his condition is described as stable. A spokesman for the force said: "We have arrested three people on suspicion of kidnap following a pre-planned firearms operation in Bootle last night, Monday 10 September. The video shows plain clothes firearms officers surrounding a large new-build property with their weapons trained on the front door. The video ends when an officer asks the witness to stop filming. The witness described seeing two vans, an unmarked police vehicle and a number of officers gathered outside … [Read more...] about ‘Kidnap victim’ rescued by armed police as dramatic footage shows raid on house

Kidnap victim Abby Hernandez has revealed how she stayed alive during the nine month ordeal in which she was sexually assaulted and tortured. The teen, who was abducted on her way home from school, said her survival instincts kicked in and she realised she "had to work" with the man holding her captive. "I said [to him], ‘I don’t judge you for this. If you let me go, I won’t tell anybody about this,’” Abby recalled during an interview with ABC News . However her initial attempts to negotiate with her sick abductor proved unsuccessful and for nine months he forced her to wear a dog shock collar and call him "Master". Twisted Nate Kibby inflicted abuse on her daily, but she used the 'power of prayer' to keep her hope alive. She added: “I remember I never said ‘amen’ in my mind. I never wanted to end my prayers because I didn't want God to leave me. “I just really wanted to live.” One of the other tactics Ms Hernandez used was … [Read more...] about Kidnap victim reveals ‘tactics’ she used to stay alive during nine month ordeal

The National Counterterrorism Unit of the Judicial Police with the help of Navy, Maritime Police and Portuguese Air Force personnel swung into action after the 28-year-old kidnap victim managed to send a SMS message last Thursday to a friend in France who alerted the Portuguese authorities. The message stated that the sender had been kidnapped in Portugal and taken out to sea by another Frenchman, a 42-year-old already being referred to as "being involved in organised crime" back in France. Portugal’s police spokesman stated that the case had all the hallmarks of a potentially damgerous and violent situation. According to the Navy's spokesman, Commander Pereira da Fonseca, the friend of the victim contacted the French authorities who contacted the Judicial Police. In less than 24-hours, it was discovered that the yacht already had left the port of Leixões, destination unknown. When it was located, it was already "400 kilometres from the coast," said the Commander, adding … [Read more...] about Dramatic sea rescue of French kidnap victim

A kidnap victim who was abducted from a residential street in Wales was beaten and stripped before being bundled into the boot of a car, a court has heard. The victim was then told he would be buried at a quarry site if he did not agree to leave town, Wales Online reports. The ordeal was designed as revenge for a "perceived dishonour" done to a member of the attackers' family. Swansea Crown Court heard the victim was walking along George Street just off St Helen's Road in the city centre on the evening of May 20 this year when he was spotted by Abid Hossain and Raheem Ali - the parties were known to each other, the victim being the partner of a relative of the assailants. Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting, said 24-year-old Ali and Hossain, who was 19 at the time, approached the man and ordered him into Hossain's car - instead the man turned on his heels, and ran. The court heard a witness saw the two assailants give chase - with Hossain armed with a two-foot long piece of copper piping. They … [Read more...] about Kidnap victim stripped and beaten before being bundled into car boot